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Apps come and go, but your data should last. Obsidian stores notes as non-proprietary plain text Markdown files on your local device, so you have total control over your data. If you are migrating from another app, there are several ways to get your notes into Obsidian.

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Use the Importer plugin

The official Importer plugin handles the most popular note-taking apps and file formats. It converts your exported data into Markdown files and places them directly in your vault.
1

Install the Importer plugin

Open Settings → Community plugins, click Browse, and search for Importer. Click Install, then Enable.
2

Open Importer

Open the command palette (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P) and run Importer: Open importer. Alternatively, click the Importer icon in the left sidebar.
3

Choose your source app or format

Select the app or file format you are migrating from.
4

Follow the import wizard

Each source has its own set of instructions. The wizard will guide you through exporting from your source app and converting the files.

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Supported apps and formats

The Importer plugin supports the following sources:

Notion

Import pages and databases exported from Notion.

Microsoft OneNote

Import notebooks and pages from OneNote.

Evernote

Import notes and notebooks from an Evernote export file (.enex).

Apple Notes

Import notes exported from the Apple Notes app.

Apple Journal

Import journal entries from the Apple Journal app.

Google Keep

Import notes and lists from a Google Keep export.

Bear

Import notes from a Bear export.

Craft

Import documents from Craft.

Roam Research

Import a Roam Research JSON export.

HTML files

Convert HTML files to Markdown.

CSV files

Import structured data from CSV files.

Textbundle files

Import .textbundle and .textpack archives.

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Import plain Markdown files

If your notes are already in Markdown format — for example, exported from another Markdown editor — the simplest approach is to copy them directly into your vault folder.
1

Locate your vault folder

Open Settings → Files and links and check the path shown under Vault path, or find the vault folder in your file explorer.
2

Copy your files

Copy your .md files (and any subfolders) into the vault folder using Finder, File Explorer, or the terminal.
3

Reload Obsidian

Switch back to Obsidian. Your notes will appear in the file explorer immediately. If they don’t, press Ctrl+R (Cmd+R on macOS) to reload the vault.
Obsidian will recognise any .md file placed in the vault folder. You don’t need to do anything extra to make them appear.

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Convert legacy Markdown formats

If you have notes with formatting that doesn’t match Obsidian’s Markdown style — for example, notes that use [[wikilinks]] from a different app, or notes using ==highlights== — use the built-in Format converter.
  1. Open Settings → Core plugins and enable Format converter.
  2. Go to Settings → Format converter and choose which syntax patterns to convert.
  3. Click Start conversion to update all notes in your vault.
The Format converter modifies your notes in place. Back up your vault before running a conversion.

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More formats and community guides

If your app isn’t listed above, you can request support or contribute to the open-source obsidian-importer repository. The Obsidian community has also shared migration guides for many other tools:
See the community thread on GitHub for a guide to migrating from Day One.
See the community thread on GitHub for a guide to migrating from Logseq.
In addition to the Importer plugin, community members have documented a manual Roam migration process for complex graphs.
See the Obsidian forum thread for a TiddlyWiki migration guide.
See the community thread on GitHub for a guide to migrating from Ulysses.
Additional guides are available in the obsidian-importer issue tracker and the Obsidian forum.

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Next steps

Link notes

Start connecting your imported notes to build a knowledge graph.

Manage vaults

Learn how to organise, rename, and back up your vault.

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